According to a poll featured in the May 2009 issue of ShopSmart, from the publisher of Consumer Reports, women spend an average of five hours per week cleaning their homes. Surprisingly, only seven percent said that they hate cleaning their home, while 25% said that they love cleaning or find it relaxing.

 

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The poll also found that vacuuming is by far the preferred cleaning task for women (41%) while cleaning the shower or tub (26%) and toilets (25%) were the tasks disliked the most.

 

“We were surprised to find that women actually like to clean their homes, some even finding it relaxing!” said Lisa Lee Freeman, editor-in-chief of ShopSmart. “Our guide will help make cleaning easier and cheaper by showing women which key items they need to purchase and the ones to avoid.”

Who Does the Dirty Work?

• 83% of married* women said they do the majority of the cleaning in their household.
  
• 56% indicated that their spouse or significant other also helps with the cleaning.
• 37% of married women said they have arguments about cleaning the house.
• Over a quarter of women (26%) said that the amount of cleaning their spouse is doing is declining.
  

What are you Purchasing?

• On average, women typically use five products to clean their homes.
• Over one-third (37%) of women are purchasing more environmentally-preferable cleaning products than last year, while 13% admit they are buying less.
  

Coming Clean

• Thirty-six percent have made areas off-limits to guests because the rooms weren’t clean.
• Three quarters (75%) of respondents said their home is as clean or cleaner than the one they grew up in.
  

* Married includes single, but living as married.

ShopSmart’s Nine Cleaning Tools For Getting At Every Crevice

1. Feather duster for cleaning knickknacks, photo frames, and other lightweight objects.
2. White cotton gloves for cleaning chandeliers and between the slats of Venetian blinds.
3. Disposable Swiffer cloths for cleaning dust magnets like computer and TV screens, all kinds of hard surfaces like tabletops and floors, and even car dashboards. Keep one in your car and do a quick swipe when you’re at a stoplight.
4. Scrub brush with a handle for miscellaneous cleaning tasks.
5. Microfiber cloth for catching and holding dust.
6. Cotton swabs to get into tiny crevices in plastic bath mats, silver, and other small, hard-to-reach spots.
7. Tile grout brushes with a single row of stiff bristles for scrubbing between ceramic tiles. Toothbrushes also do the job.
8. Lint-free dust cloths made of 100 percent cotton for cleaning easily scratched items; other fabrics used as rags can create lint and are abrasive.
9. Lambswool Dusters or dust mops for wiping large surfaces, even walls, to pick up dust and cobwebs. The head can be removed and washed. Or save a few bucks and make a dust mop by wrapping an old cotton rag around the end of a broomstick.
   

ShopSmart Brand Loyalty Poll Methodology

The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a telephone survey of a nationally representative probability sample of telephone households. 1,008 interviews were completed among women aged 18+. Interviewing took place over December 18-21, 2008. The margin of error is +/- 3.2% points at a 95% confidence level.

About ShopSmart magazine:

 

Launched in Fall 2006 by Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, ShopSmart draws upon Consumer Reports’ celebrated tradition of accepting no advertisements and providing unbiased product reviews. The magazine features product reviews, shopping tips on how to get the most out of products and “best of the best” lists.

 

© Consumers Union 2009. The material above is intended for legitimate news entities only; it may not be used for commercial or promotional purposes.

 

About Consumers Union

Consumer Reports® is published by Consumers Union (CU), an expert, independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves. To achieve this mission, CU tests, informs and protects. To maintain its independence and impartiality, CU accepts no outside advertising, no free test samples, and has no agenda other than the interests of consumers. CU supports itself through the sale of information products and services, individual contributions and a few noncommercial grants.